NSF(UK) Partners the African Science Academy
The African Science Academy (ASA) is a new, girls-only Advanced Level school for maths and science. Opened in August 2016, in Tema, on the outskirts of Accra, Ghana, ASA is a sixth-form college leading to globally respected Cambridge International A Levels.
ASA runs a one-year program consisting of 3 core subjects at Advanced level in a boarding school environment for young women with outstanding maths and science potential. Academically gifted students with a passion for maths and science are specifically selected.
These students apply from across Africa and are admitted after their senior secondary education in preparation for progression to the best universities in Africa and around the world. ASA is a pathway to undergraduate study and future careers in Engineering, Science, Computing and more.
The Academy, officially launched on Friday 3rd February 2017, has a vision to be the leading school in Africa for gifted young scientists. The many nationalities which make up the ASA community contribute to the rich and diverse cultural atmosphere, where maths, science and technology are taught to young women in an inclusive environment.
Photo credit: http://ghscientific.com
Founded by African Gifted Foundation Ghana, a registered Ghanaian NGO, a subsidiary of the African Gifted Foundation, a UK registered charity. ASA’s journey began with Dr. Tom Ilube, Chair and founder who also received the prestigious award of the most influential black person in the UK for 2017.
Photo credit: http://ghscientific.com
Many of the girls at ASA have commented on how the Academy is changing their lives, especially their self-confidence, with ASA providing them a sense of vision and purpose to take over the STEM world in Africa. These girls left their home countries; Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda and different parts of Ghana to be a part of the pioneering class at the Academy. This first cohort of ASA students sat the Cambridge International A levels in Maths, Further maths, Physics in 12 months and about two thirds (65%) achieved the grades A*-B. One 16 year old girl got A*A*A. The overall pass rate (A*-D) was 100%.
Although it is a fee paying school, ASA has a fully funded scholarship program which can cover up to 100% of fees and expenses. One of those privileged to win such a scholarship is Aisha Akinola, a student of Federal Government College Sokoto who won the 2017/2018 African Science Academy Scholarship Award, facilitated by the Nigerian Schools Foundation (UK) also known as NSF(UK). All qualified students across the nation were invited to Abuja for a written examination on Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Physics and essay writing. Aisha Akinola emerged as the only Nigerian girl among 24 Gifted Girls selected from across African Continent securing a Scholarship Admission for a one year programme for the Cambridge International A-Level. She left for Tema, Ghana on 1st August, 2017 in the company of her proud father as an ambassador of F.G.C Sokoto and Nigeria as a whole. The College have expressed their appreciation to the UK Chapter of the Old Students Association and NSF (UK) for facilitating this and look forward to more opportunities in the future.
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NSF (UK)'s key objective is “to increase the awareness of the importance of education", cuts across many initiatives including the ASA. It believes educational attainment contributes to greater social mobility and fully supports this initiative and encourages others to support in any way they can.
